Farmer awaits appeal ruling

Tony Martin, the reclusive farmer seen by many people as a victim of injustice since he was jailed for life for the shotgun killing of a teenage burglar, was today being told by the Court of Appeal whether the law takes the same view of his plight.

Three judges headed by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, were handing down their judgment on Martin's appeal against his conviction of murdering 16-year-old Fred Barras at Bleak House, Emneth Hungate, near Emneth, Norfolk, on the night of August 20, 1999.

The 56-year-old farmer was jailed at Norwich Crown Court in April last year and was also given a 10-year sentence for wounding Barras's

accomplice, Brendan Fearon, now 30.

A public outcry ensued and Martin's appeal lawyers presented fresh evidence relating to where he was standing when he fired the shots and whether he could be said to have acted with "reasonable force" in self-defence.

A psychiatrist described Martin as having a paranoid personality disorder, probably made worse by an earlier invasion of his property by burglars.

The farmer's legal team contended this factor was relevant not only to the question of whether he acted through diminished responsibility, but also to his plea of self-defence - because he feared a much greater danger to his physical safety than the average person.

Martin's lawyers also claimed that his original defence team at the trial concentrated on legal tactics and ignored vital evidence which could have resulted in a different verdict.

It is open to the appeal judges to order a re-trial, reduce Martin's murder conviction to manslaughter on the ground of diminished responsibility, quash the conviction entirely - or dismiss the appeal if they find against him.